Cageless roller bearing



March 26,1935. R, Gmz 1,995,978

CAGELESS ROLLER BEARING- Filed Sept. 26, 1932 /M ve/v TOP;

Patented=Man 26, 1935 v v l I UNITED STATES PATENT orrics CAGELESS ROLLER BEARING Richard Giitz, Berlin-Llchterfelde-Sud, Germany; Leonore can, heir of said Richard Gotz, deceased Application September 26, 1932,'Serial No. 634,960 In Germany December 16, 1931 3 Claims. (Cl. 308-206) This invention relates to a new and improved character a designates a journal, and. b and ccageless roller bearing, wherein separating designate, respectively, the inner and outer races rollers, of a diameter smaller than that of the of my improved cageless bearing. The load bearing or load carrying rollers, are disposed becarrying rollers, which are shown as arranged in 5 tween the load carrying rollers for preventing an annularly extending series between the races, 5

undesirable sliding friction between the latter are designated 1, and the separating rollers, of rollers, so that they may operate with a free which one is shown between each pair of load rolling action. carrying rollers, are designated II. The arrows I have found it to be desirable, in a roller bearindicate the direction of running of the rollers ing of this type, that the separating rollers exert in the bearing. From the arrangement of rollers 10 little or no pressure against the bearing races shown in the drawing it will be seen that the and that these separating rollers be-capable of load carrying rollers and the separating roller being freely carriedaround the axis of the jourtogether provide substantially a full complenal by the corresponding movement of the load ment or full annular series of rollers. From the carrying rollers. In those roller bearings emdirection of running of the rollers, as indicated 15 bodying separating rollers, as heretofore mm by the arrows, it will also be seen that all of structed, the, separating rollers have not .fulthe load carrying rollers rotate in the same difilled these requirements, and have, accordingly, rection and that the separating rollers rotate in been subjected to excessive friction and, the opposite direction, in the manner of idlers wear, resulting in part from the separating rollers between the load carrying rollers. 20

being pressed against the outer race by cen- It should be understood that the rollers may trifugal force, and in part from the tendency for be either cylindrical or tapered in form. the separating rollers to be wedged against the According to my invention, and as pointed outer race by the load carrying rollers, out above, the separating rollers are of smaller 3 I have discovered, further, that the desired free diameter than the load carrying rollers and exert 25 running of the separating rollers is dependent little or no pressure against the bearing races. upon, what may be conveniently referred to as To overcome the undesirable tendency for the the angle of friction between the separating separating rollers be pr ssed against the outer rollers and the adjacent load carrying rollers, rac by t w d action of -l d a y n and upon the ratio of the diameter of the load rollers, as po ed Out ove, I construct the 30 carrying rollers to the diameter or the i n r mee rollers of my cag'eless hearing such that when (or the diameter of the journal as the case the ratio of the diameter of the inner race (or of may be), i the journal as the case may be) to the diame- Accordingly, as a further object of my inventer of the load carrying rollers is six to one, or

tion, I aim to providean improved cageless roller ter, the angle of friction between the p- 35 bearing having separating rollers disposed bearating rollers and the load carrying rollers will tween, and of smaller diameter than the load be seven d s 0 esscarrying rollers, and wherein the angle f fri What is meant by the angle of friction between tion between the separating rollers and the load the separating rollers s l d C rrying 1"011- 40 carrying rollers, and the ratio of the diameter of rs, is illustrated dia ammat a y n 2. As 40 the load carrying rollers to the diameter of the shown in the drawing, the angle of ffiCtlOIl iS that I inner race, are such that the separating rollers angle, of which one side is formed by a straight exert lim or no pressure against th bearing line connecting the centers of two adjacent load m carrying rollers and the other side is formed by 1n t accompanying d wi illustrating one a straight line connecting the center of one of 45 form hi h th i ti may assume, the two load carrying rollers with the center of Fig. 1 is an end elevation of the upper 1 1f of the intermediate separating roller when the lata cageless roller bearing constructed according ter is in contact with the outer race. The angle to my invention, but wherein the difference in Of friction t ate in i 2 is shown as being diameter between the spacing rollers and load five degrees. 50 carrying rollers is exaggerated, and From the arrangement of rollers illustrated Fig, 2 is a diagrammatic view of a group of and described, it will be seen that with the corthe individual rollers of my cageless bearing. rect choice of value for the angle of friction and Detailed reference" will now be made to the for the ratio between the diameter of the load accompanying drawing, wherein the reference carrying rollers and the diameter of the inner 55 race, the tendency will be for each pair of load carrying rollers to hold the separating roller,

which is therebetween, out of contact with the vthe centrifugal force, which acts on the separating rollers, overcomes the forces tending tohold these rollers out of engagement with the bearing races, the separating rollers contact with the outer race, but the pressure thus exerted against the outer race by the separating rollers is very light and does not destroy the film of' oil on the outer race.

I claim:

1. In a cageless roller bearing, bearing rollers,

an outer race and an inner race for said bearing rollers and separating rollers inserted between said bearing roller, said separating rollers having a smaller diameter than said bearing rollers, the angle of friction between each bearing and separating roller being seven degrees and less and the ratio of diameter between the inner race and the bearing rollers being six to one and more. I v

2. A roller bearing comprisingouter and inner races, a plurality of load-carrying rollers between said races, and separating rollers betweenthe load-carrying rollers, the diameters of said rollers being such that the angle of friction between the separating rollers and the load-carrying rollers does not exceed seven degrees when the ratio of the diameter of the inner race to the diameter .of the load-carrying rollers is not less than six to one.

3. As an article of manufacture a precision roller bearing comprising outer and inner cylindrical races, and an annular series of rollers between said races including load-carrying rollers and separating rollers between the adjacent load-carrying rollers, the separating rollers being of smaller diameter than the load-carrying rollers and the diameters of the load-carrying and separating rollers being so proportioned that the angle of friction between the separating and the load-carrying rollers is approximately five degrees and the ratio-of the diameter of the inner race to the diameter of the load-carrying rollers is not less than six to one, whereby the forces tending to move the separating rollers toward the outer race are counteracted and substantially balanced by forces tending to move the separating rollers away from the outer race and substantial pressure of the separating rollers against the outer race is prevented.

RICHARD GC'rrz. 

